PHledger FDE · AI Talent Platform · Melbourne pilot open
Verified skills, explainable matching, training to the job.
PHledger Talent is the FDE AI platform that brings students and trainees, employers, education & migration agents, lawyers and training providers into one AI-automated workflow: a professional profile backed by real evidence, AI matching that shows why, and training that closes the gap to the role. We start with Melbourne restaurant managers, then FDE Analyst and QA Engineer tracks.
01 — The problem
Hiring a good manager is slow and hard to judge
Slow hiring
Owners spend weeks on ads, CVs and interviews for one manager role, often between shifts.
CVs don't show ability
It is hard to tell who can actually run a roster, handle a complaint or control stock costs.
No clear path up
Experienced staff who want to manage lack a clear standard, practical evidence and exposure to employers.
Training is disconnected
Courses rarely match what a particular venue needs, and employers can't see a trainee's progress.
02 — First business · Hospitality, Australia
From student visa to employer sponsorship — the restaurant pathway
Our first business: international students study hospitality, gain paid restaurant experience, and — where the role and the person genuinely qualify — are sponsored by their employer. Typical end-to-end time is about 5 years from student visa to a permanent-residence application. Every eligibility decision is made by a registered migration agent or lawyer, case by case.
- 01
Course & student visa
Month 0–3
Student · college · education agent
Diploma-level hospitality course at a CRICOS-registered college. Must meet the Genuine Student requirement.
- › Student visa A$2,500 (student)
- › Tuition per college quote (student)
- 02
Study & paid work
About 18–24 months
Student · college · restaurants
Work up to 48 hours a fortnight in term, paid at Award rates. PHLedger's manager bootcamp in the final term turns experience into evidence.
- › Manager bootcamp A$1,200, optional (student)
- 03
Post-study work visa (if eligible)
18 months (VET) · 2–3 years (degree)
Graduate · migration agent
Subclass 485: aged 35 or under, English, and for VET graduates an eligible occupation plus skills assessment. Not every hospitality course qualifies.
- › 485 visa A$5,750 (graduate)
- 04
Employer sponsor & labour market test
About 1–2 months
Employer · migration agent
Restaurant is approved as a Standard Business Sponsor and advertises the role in Australia (at least two ads, 4 weeks). Salary must be at least A$79,423 and the market rate.
- › Sponsorship A$420 (employer)
- 05
Nomination & 482 visa
Processing up to about 10 months
Employer · worker · migration agent
Skills in Demand 482, Core Skills stream: occupation on the list, at least 1 year of relevant experience, English and any required skills assessment.
- › Nomination A$330 (employer)
- › Training levy A$1,200/yr, or A$1,800/yr if turnover ≥ A$10m (employer)
- › 482 visa A$4,015 (worker)
- 06
Two years on 482
24 months
Employer · worker
Worker in the nominated role at the nominated pay. PHLedger's compliance tracker keeps pay, duties and notifications in order.
- › Compliance tracker A$99/month per venue (employer, optional)
- 07
Permanent residence (186 TRT)
Processing up to about 14 months
Employer · worker · migration agent
Two of the last three years on 482 in the nominated occupation with an approved sponsor; employer nominates for permanent residence.
- › 186 visa A$6,140 (applicant)
- › Nomination fee + one-off training levy (employer)
What PHLedger charges
Employers
A$3,500 per role
Role profile, advertising and labour-market-test evidence, explained shortlist, onboarding and 90-day follow-up. Paid by the employer; never passed on to the worker.
Employers
A$99 / month per venue
Optional sponsor-obligation tracker: pay, duties, record keeping and change notifications.
Students
Free · A$1,200 bootcamp
Profile and matching are free. The manager bootcamp is optional and never a condition of any job or sponsorship.
Migration agents & lawyers
A$0 in the pilot
They quote and invoice clients directly. PHLedger takes no share of their fees.
- › Sponsorship, nomination and training-levy costs are paid by the employer — by law they cannot be passed to the worker.
- › No fee is ever tied to a visa grant, and nobody may pay or be paid for a sponsorship.
- › Migration agent and lawyer fees are quoted separately by the professional, in writing.
! Government charges from 1 July 2026; processing times are indicative. Check Home Affairs or a registered migration agent before relying on them.
03 — Who's on the platform
Four parties, one shared workflow
Students & trainees
- › International students and local job seekers
- › Profile, baseline, training plan
- › Consent-based sharing with employers
Employers
- › Restaurants and hospitality groups
- › Role profiles, shortlists, interviews
- › Training progress & 30/60/90 follow-up
Education & migration agents · lawyers
- › Registered migration agents and Australian lawyers
- › Education agents for course and study enquiries
- › Receive consented referrals; they give the advice
Training providers
- › RTOs and hospitality trainers
- › Deliver accredited units where required
- › Mentor feedback and assessment records
04 — AI automation
AI agents run the workflow end to end
Every repetitive step is automated by an AI agent. Where Australian law or fairness requires a person — migration advice, accredited assessment, the hiring decision — the agent prepares everything and routes it to the right licensed professional to sign off.
- 01
Intake agent
Onboards students, employers and partners in Chinese or English, collects consent and builds profiles and role briefs.
- 02
Role & match agent
Turns a vacancy into a structured role profile and produces an explained shortlist of consenting candidates.
- 03
Training agent
Builds each trainee's plan from their skill gaps, sets practical tasks, tracks attendance and drafts readiness reports.
- 04
Scheduling agent
Books interviews, mentor sessions and adviser consultations, and sends reminders to everyone.
- 05
Case-prep agent
Assembles the consented documents and checklist an agent or lawyer needs — they review and advise; the AI never gives visa advice.
- 06
Follow-up agent
Runs 30/60/90-day check-ins with employer and employee, and escalates pay, hours or wellbeing issues to a person.
05 — The platform
Five modules, one workflow
Professional profile
Profile
Work history, skill tags, training records, scenario tasks and referee consent, with privacy and visibility settings.
- Evidence
- Consent
AI matching
Match
Structured role profiles and a shortlist that explains which criteria each candidate meets and what evidence is still missing. No opaque scores.
- Explainable
- Human review
Training & delivery
Studio
Competency matrix, modules and practical tasks, mentor feedback, attendance and a work-readiness report.
- Competency matrix
- Mentors
Employer workspace
Employer Console
Roles, candidate board, feedback, stage status and consent records in one place for the venue.
- Board
- Audit trail
Agents, lawyers & RTOs
Partner Hub
Education & migration agents, lawyers and training providers receive consented case files, referrals and status updates — and record their own advice and outcomes.
- Referrals
- Disclosed
Admin assistant
AI Copilot
Drafts role descriptions and interview questions, structures CVs, summarises skill gaps and suggests training.
- Drafts
- Summaries
06 — For employers
From a vacancy to a 90-day check-in
- 01
Needs interview
Venues, vacancies, real duties, shifts, pay budget and current hiring channels.
- 02
Role diagnosis
Break 'manager' into real duties: rostering, service quality, stock and cost, food safety, complaints, team coaching.
- 03
Shortlist & interviews
An explained shortlist of consenting candidates. You check experience, references and work rights, and make the hiring decision.
- 04
30 / 60 / 90 days
Feedback points, training tasks, retention tracking and an escalation path after the start date.
07 — For candidates
A clear standard and evidence employers trust
- 01
Profile & consent
Create a profile, choose who sees it, and agree which roles or training it is used for.
- 02
Baseline
Experience, communication, digital skills, service mindset and management potential.
- 03
Train & practise
Short modules plus practical tasks — a roster, a complaint, a stock variance — with mentor feedback.
- 04
Readiness review
A human assessor reviews your evidence against the role matrix. You can correct records and appeal.
- 05
Interview & support
Your profile is shared with a specific employer only with your consent, with coaching after you start.
08 — Phase 1 · Restaurant manager bootcamp
6–8 weeks, every module leaves evidence
A blended pilot design of about 6–8 hours a week. Final hours and content will be confirmed with a training partner and industry advisers.
Operations basics
Opening and closing, service flow, daily checks, shift handover.
› Open/close checklist & scenario drill
Rostering & people
Shift planning, communication, feedback, conflict, coaching.
› Roster case & role-play
Cost & stock
Ordering, stocktake, wastage, cost awareness, basic reports.
› Stock variance analysis
Customer experience
Complaints, service recovery, accessible and culturally aware service.
› Complaint simulation & review
Safety & compliance awareness
Food safety, workplace safety, responsible service of alcohol rules and escalation.
› Risk checklist; formal certificates from accredited providers
Digital operations
POS, rostering and stock systems; AI-assisted paperwork and reports.
› System simulation task
Management in practice
Peak-service coordination, incidents, daily and weekly reviews.
› Mentor observation & final practical
09 — Tracks
Restaurant managers first, then FDE roles
Phase 1 · 0–6 months
Restaurant / shift manager
The core pilot: employer demand, competency framework, practical training and hiring conversion.
Phase 2 · 6–12 months
FDE Analyst
Requirements discovery, process mapping, client interviews, data literacy and AI workflows. Portfolio: process maps, problem briefs, acceptance criteria.
Phase 3 · 9–18 months
QA Engineer
Test design, edge cases, defect reports, API/SQL basics, automation and AI-assisted testing. Portfolio: test plans, regression suites, scripts.
10 — Our boundaries
Fair hiring, honest training, no visa promises
AI suggests, people decide
Matching explains criteria met and evidence missing. Model output is never a hiring decision or a visa assessment; candidates can correct, withdraw, delete and ask for human review.
Employers make the hiring call
Consistent criteria, explainable reasons and no discrimination on protected attributes. The employer checks references and work rights.
Migration advice stays with licensed professionals
Sponsorship, occupations, visas and nominations are advised on only by the registered migration agents and Australian lawyers on the platform, working with the employer. Referral relationships are disclosed. Training or a match does not guarantee sponsorship or a visa, and we never charge on visa outcomes.
Accurate about training
Our bootcamp is non-accredited, role-based training. Nationally recognised qualifications are delivered and assessed only by registered training organisations (RTOs).
Fair pay and conditions
We check the applicable Award, pay, hours and training time with employers. Training and trials are never unpaid work.
Privacy by default
Minimum data, role-based access, retention limits and access logs. Profiles are never sold or used to train general models without consent.
11 — Melbourne pilot
12 weeks, small and hands-on
3–5
Design-partner venues
8–12
Trainees in the first cohort
12 wks
Training, matching & first follow-up
! Pilots are a fixed project fee agreed after a needs interview — never tied to a visa outcome.
Hiring or growing a manager in Melbourne?
We're looking for 3–5 restaurants and hospitality groups to co-design the pilot, and experienced hospitality staff ready to step up. Tell us about your venue or your experience.
! Pilot product — features may change. Not migration, legal or financial advice.